Man City Will Look To Find New Rodri After Barcelona Move, Says Maresca

Manchester City will have to find a new Rodri following the midfielder’s move to Barcelona, manager Enzo Maresca has said.

As reported by BBC Sport on Sunday, Maresca said City would look to identify a player capable of filling the void left by the Spain international.

“We try to find the new Rodri, it is what it is,” Maresca said.

Rodri left City earlier this week after seven seasons at the Etihad Stadium, joining La Liga champions Barcelona in a deal reportedly worth around £65 million.

The 30-year-old signed a four-year contract with Barcelona after establishing himself as one of the world’s leading midfielders during his time in Manchester.

Rodri won four Premier League titles with City and scored the only goal in the 2023 Champions League final. He also claimed the 2024 Ballon d’Or and helped Spain win the World Cup during the summer.

Maresca said Rodri’s achievements at City demonstrated how a player could develop after joining the club.

“Before Rodri arrived here, he didn’t win the Ballon d’Or, he didn’t win the Champions League, he didn’t win the Club World Cup,” he said.

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“He joined the club, then he achieved many important things,” Maresca added.

Rodri made nearly 300 appearances for City and was entering the final year of his contract before his departure. The club had offered him a new deal, but negotiations failed to reach an agreement.

Maresca also pointed to City’s history of successfully replacing influential players, citing the transitions from David Silva to Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero to Erling Haaland and Fernandinho to Rodri.

“When David Silva was here, everyone was worried, and Kevin arrived,” Maresca said.

“When Sergio was here, everyone was worried about when he was going to leave and Erling arrived. Fernandinho? Rodri arrived.”

He said City must maintain its recruitment standards whenever a key player leaves.

“When they leave, you need to be good in recruiting the next one,” Maresca said.

He added that the departure of major players was part of football’s natural cycle and urged the club to focus on making the right recruitment decisions.

“They are all similar: David, Kevin, Fernandinho, Rodri, Erling. It is normal, it is change, it is not a problem. Go again and try to do the right things,” he said.